Cake Night! & Summer Contractor Delight! Oh, Wait! It's December 10th - 5 Months Later the Materials Are In! Take That Carpenter Bees & Woodpeckers

One of my graduate students wrote a think-piece asking "how does one finds optimism within the cynicism of K-12 schooling?" He asked for my advice and I simply responded, "I do the Matrix." I explained how I swirl all the negative and put it in a ball, and push it out of the way. I then look for something good to do for the world. In the tradition of Crandall graduate classes, last night was about THE CAKE. Everyone is tuned, workshopped, research, fixed, and evaluated, and I offered them a snack, while I met one on one with each in the hallway. Last classes are always odd, and I've always hated having presentations as a finale. I'm more interested in the work they submit and want to meet them one-on-one, with what they are working on. 

On another note, John from Power called to explain that the reason all those supplies were delivered to my house without any announcement is because they would begin work at 8 a.m. yesterday morning. And he was correct. I am amazed at how much was accomplished in one day and how good it looks. For those wondering, the house I inhabit was uninhabited for a few years, resulting in squirrels, mice, bees, and birds staking claim to the wood, attic, and trim. The carpenter bees have been the worse, drilling holes in all the wooden framework, only to lay eggs that are later sucked out by Pileated Woodpeckers. Basically, the wood frame on my garage and house looked like people have been shooting at it for target practice. This, and with the rains that rot wood, it's looked awful.

So, I had the framing and gutters of my house completely redone. It looks great, but now I see the major need to have the entire outside of my house repainted. The flashy whiteness of the trim has the house looking chipped, dull, and in need of fresh paint. I'm very impressed at what they've done so far and can't wait to see when the new gutters are put in by Friday. 

The A-frame of the garage looks brand new, and I'm looking forward to all that is still to come.

Ah, but then there is Karal. She wanted to be with them as much as possible, but wasn't allow to be with them at all. Of course, today they get to work in the coating of snow on the roof. A light, fluffy snow fell overnight. 

They send only one man and I said, "I guessed there'd be an entire crew." He responded, "Nah. People don't like to work. So it's just me." He was super efficient and I had to laugh by how quick he could walk on the roof, up and down ladders. It was like a Super Mario game. When I get up there, all I can think about is falling and losing my footing. 

Oh well, time to see the dermatologist. It's Kennelog day, which means I get to stick my legs into a wast's nest and get a 100 stings in my leg to treat the psoriasis. I know many would cringe, but I get excited that for a short while, anyway, my legs will clear up and not burn or itch. So, here I go.